Dutton fires back at ‘boofhead’ sledge

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has come out swinging after he was sledged on the floor of parliament.

Mr Dutton hit back at Anthony Albanese, branding the Labor leader a socialist with a bad temper.

A schoolyard brawl broke out during Question Time on Tuesday, culminating in Mr Albanese calling Mr Dutton a “boofhead”.

Mr Albanese was complaining about the Prime Minister as Mr Dutton jumped to his feet preparing to interrupt him.

But before Mr Dutton could open his mouth, Mr Albanese swiftly shot him down.

“Well hang on,” Mr Albanese yelled at Mr Dutton as he walked towards him.

“I’m still here. You sit down. Sit down, boofhead.”

Labor’s side of the house roared with laughter as Mr Dutton returned to his seat.

The Defence Minister bided his time before firing back with a flourish on Thursday.

“I think it showed to people, if you watched that clip, a level of frustration and anger by Anthony Albanese, which most Australians wouldn’t have seen,” Mr Dutton.

“He’s got a temper on him. There’s no question about that.”

“He has a glass jaw.”

Mr Dutton insisted he had a “thick skin”and was unbothered by Mr Albanese’s sledge.

Talkback host Ray Hadley ribbed Mr Dutton about whether the warring politicians should become friends.

But Mr Dutton would not have a bar of it, insisting Mr Albanese was too left-wing.

“He’s a socialist, though,” Mr Dutton said.

The scrap between the two politicians caps off a sitting week filled with conflict in Parliament House.

On Tuesday, Liberal Senator David Van was accused of growling at independent Senator Jacqui Lambie as she made an impassioned speech about the lack of social housing in Australia.

On Wednesday, Greens Senator Lydia Thorpe yelled at Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes during a Senate debate, accusing Senator Hughes of sleeping around.

“At least I keep my legs shut,” Senator Thorpe said.

She later apologised for the remark.

Senator Lambie on Thursday said the environment of Parliament House was becoming “shameful and nasty”.

“I can tell you it is actually getting quite nasty up here, and it is not on. The stuff that’s going on when your microphone is turned off, it is going way too far, and it is starting to get out of control,” she said.